“Quite a few welcomed the parties that followed. There isn’t a lot to do here and Krylov seemed to know how to entice not only the men to his parties but some of their partners as well. I didn’t go, and some of the others didn’t either. I think, in the end, that’s what set us apart. Braum noticed and tried to get us to come several times. He wasn’t happy that we didn’t attend, but I’m not the party type. I’m a family man.”
“You were uneasy with the way the others began acting.” Gorya made it a statement.
Leo rubbed his jaw. “Yes. They were all...” He frowned, searching for the right word. “Different,” he finally settled on. “The men weren’t as respectful toward the women, even their wives, not like they used to be, and that’s when Rivel introduced human trafficking into the mix. We had no say in the matter. We had to accept it, just as we did everything else. Rivel knew we weren’t happy about it. He showered us with money, but it left us feeling dirty. There was no getting out. We understood that. We talked about how we might find a way of taking our daughter and leaving without making it seem as if we were trying to leave. An illness, maybe, but we knew it wouldn’t work. We’d been too vocal in our protests. Braum was watching us closely, paying attention to everything we said and did, even if Rivel wasn’t.”
He isn’t getting to the point. What prompted him to come here tonight?Gorya asked Maya.He doesn’t want to say.
Maya hesitated. She knew exactly why Leo wasn’t telling Gorya what he’d come there to say to him. She knew because she’d held back for so long, unable to reveal details not only to Gorya but to herself.
Tell me, baby.His voice gentled. Was compelling. Surrounded her with warmth.
It’s too traumatic. Whatever it is, once he states it aloud, it becomes too real.She knew. She had finally shared with Gorya the images of her past, something she’d refused to do with anyone.I couldn’t even reexamine my memories for so many years. That made them far too real.The brutal memories had come spilling out despite her determination to never open that door again.
I’m honored that you had the courage to share with me, Maya. The things we share will always only be between us. No one else ever.
Knowing he meant it increased the intimacy between them so much.
“I wasn’t the only one happy when you arrived and banned trafficking. We thought you were the answer we’d waited for. We should have known Braum and the others wouldn’t stand for their new way of life to disappear,” Leo continued. “Braum may have sworn allegiance to you, but he and the others are plotting to kill you. They have help from the outside, bringing in assassination teams if they can’t get it done, although their plans are solid.” He raked his thick hair with both hands and once again raised sorrowful eyes to Gorya. “I don’t see how he can fail.”
When Gorya would have prompted him for the information, Maya cautioned him against speaking.You have to allow him to say it his way. I know it’s difficult to wait, Gorya, but he’s putting the courage together to tell you whatever it is.
She couldn’t keep sympathy for the man out of her mind. She knew she was supposed to keep her distance emotionally from him, just in case she was the one who would have to kill him, but she found it impossible. He was putting off waves of such intense sorrow mixed with guilt and anger.
Gorya remained quiet but reached out once more to Maya, pouring warmth and love into her mind.Whatever it is, baby, we’ll do our best to help him. He feels hopeless because he doesn’t know his newpakhan. I’ve led with fear because I’ve had to, not because that’s necessarily what I believe is right.
How could she not love him? The determination to give aid to this man was already in his mind. She hadn’t asked him; as the leader of the territory, it was natural, no matter the danger to himself. He didn’t know what the problem was, but he was certain he would be able to find a solution—just as he had worked to get ahead of the problems the two of them had in their physical relationship.
You persist in looking at me with stars in your eyes.
You deserve to be looked at through stars.
Baby, someday you’re going to be so disappointed.
I see the real you, the one no one else will ever see. You even hide from yourself. Rogue and Wraith see the man I see.
“My daughter, Alicia, was spending the night with her best friend, Mindy. Her parents are George and Vera Morozov. George works closely with Braum. I should have known better than to allow Alicia to have such a close friendship with Mindy, but they grew up together. They were always together. Vera treated her like a second daughter. It never occurred to either one of us—my wife, Yelena, or me—that Vera would betray her. Alicia is barely fifteen.”
Leo pressed his fingers to the corners of his eyes as if he was keeping himself from weeping. “We received a visit from Braum and George tonight. They told us they’d taken Alicia and were holding her in one of the cells, waiting to be shipped out if I didn’t cooperate. Then they took Yelena. They informed me Yelena would be shipped out in the opposite direction. They insisted I challenge you for leadership tomorrow. They have a team waiting to assassinate you whether I win or lose. There is no way my leopard can defeat yours. They know this. I know this. It is a setup to kill the both of us and take my daughter and wife and traffic them. Vera was in on it all the way. She helped them.”
“You’re absolutely certain Vera helped them?” Gorya asked, his tone lower than ever, but even more compelling.
Leo nodded. “They knocked me out, but when I woke up, I attempted to track them in the hope of getting my wife and daughter back. I couldn’t find either of them. I do know where most of the holding cells are, and I checked them. They weren’t in any of them. They use some kind of scent blocker so even the leopards can’t find traces of them.”
He sounded so hopeless that Maya’s heart went out to him.Wraith and I can find the women,she assured Gorya.
I was certain you would be able to. I think Braum and Albert Krylov have forgotten what it’s like to go up against an Amurov.
Maya wasn’t certain she liked the underlying note of what she could only identify as eagerness.
Did you suspect Braum was the person behind the others siphoning the money?
Yes, but only because of his position with both you and the formerpakhan. He’s in the best position to know everyone’s business. Gorya, I need you to get this man’s address for me now.
Maya.Gorya’s tone was cautionary.We’ll get the women. We can’t tip off the others until we’re ready to deal with all of them.
I’m not waiting to get to the daughter. She’s been gone too long. I know what happens and it isn’t pretty. I can handle it quietly.
Not alone.
